Soup carton



Oct. 24, 1967 F. MCCORMICK 3, ,666

sour CARTON F iled'May 19, 1965 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1

INVENTOR. FRANK M CORM lC K ATTORNEYS Get. 24, 1967 i MCCORMICK 3,348,666

' SOUP CARTON Filed May 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,348,666 SOUP CARTON Frank McCormick, Piermont, N.Y., assignor to Federal Carton Corporation, North Bergen, N.J., a corporation of New York Filed May 19, 1965, Ser. No. 457,125 9 Claims. (Cl. 206-44) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is disclosed herein a shipping and display package for packets of material such as powdered soup, which package is so arranged that during shipping the storage the packets will be in a horizontal position, while during display the packets will stand on edge in an inclined position. By virtue of this arrangement, the settling of the powder and consequent bulging of the packets is prevented during shipping and storage, while at the same time, due to the use of gussets connecting the rear and side walls of the display package, the rear wall automatically inclines rearwardly to a limited extent when the package is placed in display position, thus providing an effective angle of display for the packets.

This invention comprises a package designed to facilitate the storage, shipment and display of flexible packets or envelopes of powdered material, such as, for example, powdered soup. The various objects of the invention will :be best understood from the following description of the details of construction of the container part of the package and the manner in which it is used for shipping, storage and display.

A single embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In those drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a plan view of the single piece of fibrous material from which the container is made;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the package, showing the container :and the packets as stacked therein for shipping and storage;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the container positioned for the display of the packets contained therein.

It is a common practice to merchandise powdered material, such as dried soup, in thin flexible envelopes which are often made of plastic fihn. When these packets are shipped and stored while standing on their edge, their contents tend to settle to the bottom and cause an undesired bulging of the packets. It is desirable, therefore, to ship and store the packets in a stack, in which the packets lie in horizontal planes.

On the other hand, for display purposes and easy access to customers, it is preferable that the packages stand on their edges. The general purpose of this invention is to provide a container for such packets, wherein they can be shipped and stored in a horizontal position and arranged for display and access while standing on their edges. This conversion from a storage to a display position may be readily accomplished by simply rotating the package through a 90 angle. Not even this is necessary if the outer case is opened on a face that puts the display in its final vertical position.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings accomplishes these various objectives. As illustrated, the container is made from a single piece of fibrous material cut and scored to facilitate erection of the container from the blank. The blank is shown generally at 10 in FIG. 1 and consists, in the case of a rectangular 3,348,666 Patented Oct. 24, 1967 container, of a panel which is sub-divided by means of score lines into areas defining the walls 12, 14, 16 and 18. The wall 14 has a pair of side extensions 14a and 14b, and the wall 18 likewise has a pair of sideextensions 18a and 18b. Similarly the wall 12 has a pair of side extensions 12a and 12b.

The side extensions 14a and 12a, and 14b and 12b are disconnected from each other by cutting them apart along the line C.

A pair of triangular areas at the opposite ends of the extensions 12a and 12b are formed by means of the score lines S1 and S3, and these areas are provided with an adhesive indicated by the reference character G. The extensions 12a and 12b are further sub-divided by means of the score lines S2, forming the gussets TG. Each of the score lines S1, S2 and S3 are provided with a series of slits or cuts C, which facilitate the required hinge action. The wall 12 is provided with a cutout 12c, approximating its longitudinal center, for a purpose to be explained later.

The container is erected, ready for shipment to the point of use 'bypositioning the extensions 12a and 12b at right angles to the wall 12 and erecting the extension 18. to a similar right angular relationship, so that those side extensions 18a and 18b overlap the extensions 12a and 12b on their inner faces, see FIG. 4. They are connected together on the triangular glued areas with the result that the extensions 18a and 18b are not connected to the extensions 12a and 12b beyond the diagonal fold lines S3, as can he gathered from FIG. 3 with regard to the extension 18b.

In a similar way the triangular glued areas G of the extensions 12a and 12b are overlapped with the outer faces of the adjacent extensions 14a and 14b and secured together on that glued area, see FIG. 4. This leaves the terminal triangular area of the extensions 14a and 14b disconnected from the adjacent extensions 12a and 12b in the areas shown at fold lines S1, see FIG. 3.

First of all, it is to be noted that with this association of parts the entire blank can be folded down flat for storage .and shipment while empty to the point of use. This is accomplished by folding the extensions 12a and 12b onto the wall 12 and overfolding the wall 18 on the line S3, to bring the parts into a flattened relationship. The extensions 14a and 14b are likewise folded against the inner face of the wall 14 which can then be folded down over the previously folded Wall 18. The wall 16 will then lie parallel to the wall 12 and extend beyond its end.

At the point of use the container is unfolded so that the various walls are in the relationship shown in FIG. 2. The packets P are then stacked in the container, as shown in FIG. !2, so as to lie in parallel, horizontal planes. This package is then placed, either alone or with others, in an outer shipping container (not shown) in which they are tightly packed so as to be held in the relationship shown in FIG. 2 until they reach the point of storage or use.

When it is desired to put one of these pack-ages on display it is withdrawn from the shipping container and rotated from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, if not already in that position. The stack of packets P will be inclined rearwardly by causing the wall 14 to move backwardly unfolding the gussets TG, as can be seen in FIG. 4. As a result the extensions 14a, the gussets TG and the extensions 12a lie in substantially the same plane. At this point it will be noted that the cutout tab simply provides a divider for separating the packets P into two groups and thereby reduces the amount of forward sliding at their bottom edges that can result as the packets are withdrawn from the container.

From the above description it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that some of the details of the specific embodiment selected for illustrative purposes can be varied without departing from the substance of this invention. It is suggested, therefore, that the disclosure be accepted in an illustrative sense and that the scope of protection afforded hereby be determined by the appended claims.

What is claimed:

1. A unitary storage and display container comprising a rectangular receptacle having five walls, from a first one of which the other four walls extend at right angles, and means comprising gussets connecting one of said four walls to an adjacent pair of said walls, said gussets when in folded or unfolded position lying parallel to said adjacent walls to permit limited inclination of said one wall with respect to said first wall.

2. A unitary storage and display container comprising a rectangular receptacle having five walls, from one of which the other four walls extend at right angles, one of said four walls being a movable wall connected to an adjacent pair of said Walls by folded gussets lying parallel to said pair of walls, said movable wall being movable to a position of limited inclination with respect to said first wall when said gussets are unfolded into the planes of said pair of walls.

3. In the combination of claim 2, said receptacle consisting of of a single piece of fibrous material.

4. In the combination of claim 2, said gussets being triangular and defined by fold lines.

5. In the combination of claim 2 each of said gussets comprising triangular sections integral with said pair of walls.

6. In the combination of claim 2 said movable wall serving as the bottom of said container in one position and the rear wall of said container in another position.

7. In the combination of claim 2, said movable wall having an integral extension, said extension forming a wall of said package during shipment and storage, and being adapted to present additional display area when said package is placed in display position.

8. In the combination of claim 2, said movable wall having side extensions extending at right angles thereto, said gussets being connected to said movable wall through said side extensions.

9. In the combination of claim 2, said one wall having a portion bent up therefrom and extending transversely of said one wall, said bent-up portion being adapted to position packets for display.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,793,102 2/1931 Labombarde 229-33 2,107,042 2/1938 MacMillian 22931 2,210,443 8/ 1940 Bergstein 22933 3,021,043 2/ 1962 Phin 229-33 X LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A UNITARY STORAGE AND DISPLAY CONTAINER COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR RECEPTACLE HAVING FIVE WALLS, FROM A FIRST ONE OF WHICH THE OTHER FOUR WALLS EXTEND AT RIGHT ANGLES, AND MEANS COMPRISING GUSSETS CONNECTING ONE OF SAID FOUR WALLS TO AN ADJACENT PAIR OF SAID WALLS, SAID GUSSETS WHEN 